Paired Texts: Rocket Launches

Articles

Classroom Application

Annotations: Ask students to highlight text in each article that shows the different challenges space explorers and scientists confronted.

Write Prompt: After reading both articles, how do you think technology has changed since the Sputnik launch? Do you think space exploration will change in the future? Do you think the challenges early space explorers and scientists had are similar to what we are confronted with today?

Extension:Imagine that you are a scientist in the year 2060. Write down a list of challenges you might encounter preparing for space travel to a far off location (i.e. another star). Next, think of creative ways to solve those challenges. Remember - this is the future, so no idea is too far-fetched!